


His Coconut Gimlet

by vodka_and_some_sass



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:34:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26562214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vodka_and_some_sass/pseuds/vodka_and_some_sass
Summary: Loki and Cora are tethered by an emotional bond and when Cora has a nightmare after a long day at work, Loki is there to comfort her.
Relationships: Loki (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 5





	His Coconut Gimlet

Loki felt the despair before he heard the soft whimpering from the common room that led to the individual suites. Since Cora had discovered that Loki was tethered to her emotionally, she had learned to control the intensity of her feelings. Loki wasn’t complaining. He had recovered physically in the months since Cora had removed the leech, but he had enough of his own burdens to bear when it came to the mind. He settled back into his easy chair, waiting for her to tamp down on her emotions like she usually did when she slipped up. When the second wave of fear coursed through his spine and was followed by a heart-wrenching sob, he realised something was wrong. Sighing, he put his book down and stalked to the common area.

Cora lay on the couch, her head against the back and her body curved into a ball. Her hands were tucked under a cushion but from the straining of her muscles, he knew they were fisted. Another sob tore past her lips and when he bent over her, Loki could see tears streaming through her clenched eyes. He was no stranger to nightmares and a small piece of him wondered remorsefully if helping him was the reason she was having them. He shoved his thoughts aside when she whimpered again. Laying a cool hand on her exposed shoulder, he shook her gently.

“Cora, wake up.” Her skin was hot against his cool hand. She didn’t seem to hear him so he knelt beside her, rocking her a little harder. This time his attempt at waking her up worked, for she jerked awake and her arm that was under the cushion was now holding a dagger at his throat. He lifted his hands in the universal sign of surrender, not daring to move. Her eyes searched the room wildly before coming to rest on his face. He watched recognition replace the crazed gleam as she lowered the knife. He hadn’t failed to notice how her hands trembled.

The dagger fell with a muted thump on the carpeted floor and Cora’s body slumped in exhaustion. “Did I wake you?” Her voice was hoarse. Loki moved from his kneeling position to stand. She didn’t wait for him to answer her question. “I’m sorry.” Refusing to meet his eyes, she attempted to stand, only to stumble forward into him. He steadied her, holding her by her forearms.

“Sit. What do you need?” While his tone left no room for arguing, Cora stubbornly shook her head. She attempted to stand once more but was gently yet firmly pressed back into the couch. Loki towered above her, registering how frail she looked. Did she project herself to come across as stronger than she was? He wouldn’t be surprised if she did, and if she did so consciously. Nodding at her request for water, he summoned a bottle of mint water from the counter behind them before cracking it open and handing it to her. He settled himself on the edge of the couch, giving her room but staying close should she need anything else.

Gulping large sips till she had downed half the bottle, she set it on the table. “I really am sorry if I woke you. I must have been too tired to make it to my room.” She pinched the bridge of her nose, before continuing, “Thank you. You should get some rest.”

“I wasn’t sleeping. I felt your distress through- Through our link. You must have let your guard down.” Loki saw her flinch, even though the action was barely noticeable. She opened her mouth and he instinctively knew she was going to apologise. “Do not apologise. Where were you today? You weren’t around the Compound.”

The change in subject seemed to relax her. “They needed me at base for an interrogation.”

Loki raised an eyebrow. “The whole day?”

“Well, he was a tough nut to crack. But thirteen hours in, he caved.”

“You used your power for thirteen hours?”

She had the decency to look ashamed. “I took a couple of breaks in between.”

“Did you eat, replenish your reserves?” Her sheepish look gave him the answer. “Norns! No wonder your guards are down!”

“I’m honestly sorry about that. Most nights, I’m not asleep deeply enough for the nightmares to take over.” Loki felt a twinge of guilt, a strange feeling for him, as her shoulders hunched again.

“Do they happen often?” He ventured. She simply nodded. “How long?”

The hesitation to answer in itself was an answer to Loki’s question. In all the time he had known Cora, she would always put the person in front of her first. Even now, she wasn’t telling Loki what he had already suspected, that her nightmares were a direct result of what she had done for him. He knew he should leave, that he should tell her to take a sleeping draught, pills, as humans called them, so that she wouldn’t disturb him again. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. After removing the parasite from him, she had trained herself not to feel in excess. She compromised on her sleep so he wouldn’t be affected by what haunted her, by what haunted them. Shame washed over him. After all she had done for him, his reaction was to scold her and leave. Frigga would have given him an earful at the very least.

He watched as she took another sip of the water before reaching for the television remote. Exhaustion lined her eyes, her face gaunt and her eyes dull. Relaxing into the couch, he looked away from her. “I have them too.”

Cora wouldn’t have heard the whisper if she hadn’t been so hyperaware of Loki’s presence. She looked at him before turning back to the screen. “I know.”

Her response startled him. “You do?”

She nodded. Sometimes, when she couldn’t sleep, she heard him move around his room. His emotions after a nightmare were raw and she would lower the wall between their minds just enough to let the comfort rub the edge of his pain. She would never tell him that, but now that he looked back to his nights, he realised that the comfort had always been external. Subconsciously, he had probably chalked it down to memories of his mother, of a time when life was only mischief.

He wanted to feel angry. He wanted to feel rage at her for overstepping boundaries. But all he could feel was wonder. Wonder that this mortal was constantly doing something to help someone, to help him, even when he didn’t ask for it. When he didn’t deserve it. He allowed himself to feel the surge of affection that rose at the thought of what she had done, what she did for him. He was glad that their link was one way. It wouldn’t do for her to know how deeply he was touched by her kindness. Allowing a mask of indifference to slip over his features, he broke the silence that lay heavy between them.

“My mother taught me about certain muscles in the neck that ease a person into dreamless sleep when massaged. Just this one time, I could offer you a good night’s rest.”

Cora didn’t even try to mask the surprise at his offer. “You’re offering to give me a massage?”

He scowled. “No. I’m offering to put you to sleep so that I may return to my rooms without worrying that you will disturb me again.”

A smile made its way onto Cora’s tired face. Loki ignored the slight increase in his heartbeat at the sight. “Where do you want me to sit?”

Loki tried to massage her neck while he stood behind the armrest of the couch and she lay on it, but he was too tall and had to bend uncomfortably. They tried with her sitting on the floor but that only strained her neck even more as she tried not to slump forward. After shifting around a bit, Loki sighed. He lifted his legs onto the couch and spread them a bit. “Sit with your back to me.” Exhaustion leaving no room for her to argue, Cora climbed into the space he had made for her, pulling her knees up and curling an arm around them. Rolling his eyes though she couldn’t see him, Loki tugged her by her shirt till she was balanced by his slightly bent knees. Pushing her head forward, he let his fingers find their mark.

Cora jumped as cold fingers pressed into the base of her skull where her choppy hair ended only to let out a content sigh when they travelled down to her spine. Loki used his knuckles to knead out knots that had formed at the top of her spine before spreading his hands over her shoulders, his thumbs pressing away the tautness from under her ears all the way to her collarbones. Before she knew it, Cora was falling into a dreamless haze.

Loki stiffened when Cora’s body relaxed completely and fell backwards into his chest. He hadn’t even been at her neck for more than a few minutes and her response gave away exactly how exhausted she had been. Loki made a move to settle her on the couch, but a weak whimper of protest made him freeze. He felt peace wash over him in a wave as she curled further into his chest. That wave of peace was disturbed when he tried to move again. He contemplated moving swiftly, not giving her a chance to protest but that thought was driven from his mind when she tucked her hands under her chin and buried her face in his shirt, a mask of serenity slipping over her face, removing the lines that had been etched by stress and weariness. He had never seen her look so peaceful. Giving in to the instinct to protect the small woman, he let his arms wrap around her as he sank gently into the couch. She squirmed against him, her head finding purchase in his neck. Her cool breath against his skin smelled like mint from the flavoured water she had been sipping and if he turned his head slightly, he could smell the coconut and lime shampoo in her hair. Deep down in his consciousness, he thought of coconut gimlet, a vodka based cocktail that he had tried on Dr. Jane Foster’s insistence soon after Callista and her team of annoying psychiatrists had deemed that he was okay to go out and drink and let loose. A small smile threatened to reveal itself as the corners of his lips twitched upwards. He decided that coconut gimlet was his new favourite drink. 


End file.
